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***Just to satisfy my curiosity, I would really appreciate it if, if you reuse this slide, you could tell me what it was used for in the comments section. Thanks!*** A case study of the work undertaken by UK regional newspaper the Birmingham Post to engage on social networking platforms and help foster relations with its local online community.
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Social Networks
a regional newspaper case study
Joanna GearyFebruary 2009
Picture by Luc Legay, licensed under Creative Commons: http://flickr.com/photos/luc/
Who Am I?
• Employed as a business reporter in 2004.
• Previously worked for an independent multimedia production company.
• Passionate advocate for online journalism.
• Appointed development editor in 2008.
• Will join The Times as web development editor (business) next month.
Why Am I Here?
• To share some of the lessons I learnt at The Birmingham Post.
• To provide an insight into how news organisations are starting to use social media.
Why Are Social Networks Important?
“Dramatic Shift in Marketing Reality”Scholz and Friends
http://cli.gs/Scholz
A Changing Market
“Because they are immersed in media, both online and off, Gen Y'ers are marketed to left and right. But when it comes to making decisions, Gen Y
tends to rely on their network of friends and their recommendations, not traditional ads.”
~ Sarah Perez, Read Write Web (http://cli.gs/GenY)
A Right To Be Heard
A Right To Be Heard
Who Controls the Message?
“If you wish to be heard, first learn to listen.”
Newspapers - Do We Listen?
Picture by Cesara Studillo, licensed under Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cesarastudillo
Brand Perception Problem?
The Birmingham Post
January 2008
The Birmingham Post
January 2009
The Birmingham Post
It started with laminate flooring…
The Birmingham Post
…followed by a huge
helping of panic…
The Birmingham Post
…but quickly turned into a
successful crowd
sourcing project.
The Birmingham Post
The discovery of community
The Birmingham Post
Blog Network
The Birmingham Post
Community Consultation
The Birmingham Post
Using online tools to extend presence
The Birmingham Post
Engagement
“Organizations will work tirelessly to de-personalize every communication medium they encounter.”
~ Seth Godin (http://sethgodin.typepad.com)
First Law of Mass Media
The Birmingham Post
Putting the personal back in
The Birmingham Post
The result?
The Birmingham Post
Feedback
The Birmingham Post
Trust building
The Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post
Seen to be listening
The Birmingham Post
Turning public critics
into public fans
The Birmingham Post
Building presence on social networks when it makes sense
The Birmingham Post
Add Value
The Birmingham Post
Community building pays off
The Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post
Results?
- Increased strength of brand online.- Strong, growing online community- Instant and ongoing feedback on products and services.- Identification as one of UK’s leading multimedia newspapers.- Raised individual profiles.- Putting the humanity back in.
The Birmingham Post
But it’s not always an easy ride
PR Tips
Do your research – know who you want to speak to and who is speaking about you:
Blogs: - Google Blog Search - Technorati - Icerocket - Good blog blogrolls will often be best
Twitter:- http://search.twitter.com: keywords, companies, etc. - http://twellow.com - browse by industry- Look at the contacts of interesting users (This is true for all social networks)
PR Tips
Monitor!
- Google Alerts
- Social Media Firehose: http://cli.gs/firehose
- RSS www.rssmeme.com
- Twitter Search
PR Tips
Question: Are you really the best person to be approaching customers?
• What value do you offer them?
• What insight can you give?
• What expertise related to the product/service/brand can you share?
• How authentic can you really be?
PR Tips
- Engage enthusiastic staff members.
- Opportunity to build upon personal brands. The more loved they are already, the better.
- Provide guidance and support for their use of social networking.
PR Tips
- Specialists
- Those working at the “coal face”
- Senior managers
- Directors
PR Tips
It has been done!
PR Tips
Blogging: - More in-depth conversations- Help tap into interest areas- Great way to show expertise
Twitter: - Great for short conversations- “Crowdsourcing”- Personal- Fast
Facebook: - Great for easy access to loyal fans.- Groups function useful.- Events.
LinkedIn:- Extremely valuable for business.- Useful for the slightly technophobe, older user. - Can create exclusivity (good and bad).
Different platforms can have slightly different uses
PR Tips
“My experience is that if a journalist is doing research on a board they identify themselves
and ask if they can contact some of the posters…”
Respect the communityAlways operate from their point of view
PR Tips
Remember who your audience might be
PR Tips
PR Tips
DO NOT SPAM!
Any Questions
?Picture by Luc Legay, licensed under Creative Commons:
http://flickr.com/photos/luc/
[email protected]://twitter.com/
joannagearyhttp://joannageary.com
Thanks!
Picture by Luc Legay, licensed under Creative Commons: http://flickr.com/photos/luc/
[email protected]://twitter.com/
joannagearyhttp://joannageary.com
